Anniversary Picnic with Vintage Home Designs

Such patient girlies you all are...well, some of YOU, anyway! Maybe I will take pictures of wrapped gifts more often just to keep you guessing and on your toes, but I know that a few of you peeked...because you told me. Anyhoo, for the rest of you who love surprises...

TODAY is our 21st wedding anniversary and my hubby gave me the most beautiful handmade bread boards ever...





Aren't they adorable? They were packaged in burlap and tied with jute. They come in a set of four different styles and sizes.

My sweet friend, Diana from Vintage Home Designs makes every one of these mini bread boards by hand. Not only do I love her blog, but I love how she and her hubby enjoy life together! They have fun and live a simple life...and her love is a firefighter, too! I know her blog will soon be among your favorites as well! Thank you, Diana for my treasured anniversary gift!

As soon as I opened them and smelled the fresh wood, I knew since it was my year to plan our anniversary, I was going to pack a picnic and the bread boards would serve as plates. They were perfect!

Anniversary Picnic Menu:

Anniversary Champagne



BBQ Shrimp Baguettes



Our very favorite KETTLE CHIPS



Orange Infused Nectarines with Fresh Blueberries from our Neighbors



Champagne Frosted Cupcakes





{BTW, thanks to this, the cupcakes arrived in tact!}


Picnic Details:

The blanket we used was an engagement gift from hubby. He bought it for me along with the salt and pepper shakers while he was on a missions trip to Portugal. It is still so special and he still is so touched that we use it...even on the GRASS!





The sandwiches were wrapped in white recycled parchment paper from the shrimp purchased at the deli...then placed in a brown sandwich bag to keep it cool.



Decorations were kept simple: I used a paper bag to punch out tags for our food and also for the banner I made which was his card!





The napkins were wrapped with recycled jute from the gift-wrapped bread boards



The burlap that the bread boards were wrapped in served as a liner for our picnic basket and was used as a runner. My hubby loved it!




I packed a canning jar our candle, bur since it was breezy on the hill, we popped it into a champagne flute and shared a glass, which was by far more romantic!

Before we were married, he was working at a camp. He would send me a letter almost every day and it said: To the future Mrs. Pearson...I loved seeing my new last name! So, instead of anything else, the banner had to be PEARSON!

MUSIC...we love music. Very seldom do we NOT have music on in our home. SO, thanks to Pandora, we had lovely music for the evening.




ANNNND even though we did not meet in Paris, we had the most fun sitting on Chapman Hill taking in the fresh air, sounds and sights. We laughed and talked and dreamed about the future while looking at the Montgomery Park sign! "Our Spot" holds so many fun memories with promise of many more memories to come...like grand babies rolling down the hill while watching the vaux's swifts fly over head!



ANNNNND aside from our "Come to Jesus Meetin' " with our children it was a wonderful day. They blessed us with a gift certificate to GUSTAVS! ALL on their own. We were overwhelmed!

ANNNNNND...after we picked up from our picnic, we took a stroll around the neighborhoods and went house paint shopping and met the.nicest.people!

A special night with the love of my life!







I LOVE YOU, 2, Mr.Pearson



Thank you for choosing me to be your Mrs. Pearson!



Happy Happy August 11th to YOU!

PS. Have any of you made your candle light dinner, yet? Just checking!

Shared with: Picket Fence

Share

"Meet My Friend Monday"...Diana from Our Vintage Home Love

Welcome, Diana to Simply...This.That.And The Other!



Do you ever see pictures of homes where you wouldn't change a single thing if it were for sale? That is exactly how I felt when I saw Diana's home. It is functional, simple, clean, cozy and VINTAGY! Best of all, they use what they have or make small purchases and have fun fixing them up! Diana is clearly a DIY kinda gal and I know you are going to LOVE her style!


"I'm Diana and my husband Johnny and I have been married for 19 years. We have 4 wonderful children who make our lives and hearts so happy and full. We always dreamed that someday we would find the perfect "old" home for our family and we finally did. It's a perfect fit for our family and a blank canvas for our passions."


Her passions include:...vintage finds, DIY home projects, turning cast-away items into something special, budget decorating and designing. She refuse to believe that designing a beautiful home has to be limited by a small budget. If she sees something that inspires her, she will set out to find a way to make it happen on their budget...her bathroom is the perfect example!

I love to add warm, rustic wood to rooms with a mostly white color scheme, as you saw in our kitchen makeover.  The two colors, as well as the texture of the wood, pair together beautifully.  White rooms have a tendency to feel cold and sterile but if you throw some wood into the mix, it instantly warms it up and creates a cozy feel.  

Our master bath was boring, a sea of white.  The countertop, which consisted of white/cream ceramic floor tiles, had no personality and drove us crazy.  So, with an abundance of reclaimed barn wood, the idea of incorporating it into a countertop, and a couple of other special things, was born.  Here's a before pic.

First thing we did was remove the large generic mirror that seems to come with all bathrooms.  This is where the project went from fun to a stressful nightmare not so much fun.  Behind the mirror was a patch of mold.  After quite a bit of wailing calm investigation, we were relieved to find out it was from condensation getting trapped behind the mirror (no exhaust fan installed in there), not a leak.  What a relief that was.  So, after cleaning up the mess, we continued on.  

Next we pulled out the sink and removed the tile back splash and tile countertop, but left the existing plywood that the tiles were attached to, in order for us to have a base to attach our boards to.

I had already sanded and prepped the reclaimed boards with my palm sander and some 150 and 220 grit sandpaper.  So, the next step was to fit them to the plywood on top of the countertop and cut out a space for the sink.  

To do this, I simply laid them on the top, crawled under the countertop and traced the already existing circle for the sink onto the boards.  Then cut out the circle with a jig saw.

It's starting to look like a countertop!  So exciting!

To attach the boards to the plywood top, we used Liquid Nails and the nail gun for extra stability.

We used three planks of barn wood for the top.  For the trim in the front and on the side, I took another piece of barn wood and ripped it on the table saw to be 2 1/2 inches wide, turned it on its side and then attached with the nail gun.  It creates a nice finished edge. 

And that's it, as far as building the countertop goes.  To seal the wood, I used Tung Oil, which prevents water from penetrating the wood, but also brings out the beauty of each piece.  I applied it with a dry rag.  This stuff has a strong odor, so, I opened the windows and used gloves.

Next, we put the sink back into place, reconnected the pipes and turned the water supply back on.  And that's it.  Isn't that wood gorgeous?  So much character.....

I didn't want to put that giant mirror back on the wall so I bought a smaller plain beveled mirror at Wal-Mart for 10 bucks and attached it to the wall with the hardware provided.  I used some extra barn wood to trim out the mirror and to hide the hardware.  

Then I extended the bead board that was already surrounding the claw foot tub, around the countertop as a backsplash.  I installed that just like I did in my kitchen makeover.

I love our claw foot tub but it needed a rack across the top.  I didn't want to pay a lot of money for one, so, I just made my own by preparing another piece of the reclaimed wood, attaching two blocks of wood underneath to prevent it from sliding or falling and coating it in tung oil.  

I used a saw drill bit to create two holes halfway through the wood in each side to hold candles.  This tub used to have a shower but since we have a shower in another bathroom, we decided to remove all the shower parts and let the beauty of the original vintage tub be the focal part of the room.

I got these cute little robins egg soaps from a local shop called The French Hen.  I think they add a special little touch and I just love 'em.  So fun.....this picture doesn't really do them justice.  They are the perfect shade of blue and the little specks are so charming.

My hubby found this soap rack in an old home that is in the process of being renovated.  He knows the owner and got permission to take this little treat home.  Another fun detail.  I have no idea if it is vintage or not, but I sure love the lines and patina.

And here is the other side of our master bath which includes the faux vintage ladder I built just for this room.

We couldn't be happier with the results in here.  And the best thing, the only amount of money I spent was 10 bucks for the mirror, since we had all the other materials.

I've had lots of questions regarding my paint colors, so, if anyone is interested, the paint color in this room is called Cloudy Morning and it's from the Color Place selection at Wal-Mart.  Hope you like the result as much as we do!  Thank you for visiting..... :)  And have a great day!!

Thank You Diana!!

Please be sure to visit her soon!


"/>

Share